Heather S. - Cardio Kickboxing and Conditioning

Heather is a recent transplant from the beautiful Northwest, where she grew up in Oregon. But she’s found there’s nothing quite like the Bay Area when it comes to enjoying gorgeous weather and the great outdoors. Heather brings with her a strong passion for cardio kickboxing, and is ready to share her love for fitness while punching, kicking, and sweating to motivating and energizing music. She has been a student of cardio kickboxing since 2002, became certified to teach in 2011, and has been instructing in the Bay Area since 2012. Heather’s classes are a dynamic fusion of mixed martial arts and boxing-style movements designed to build cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, balance, and flexibility. Heather believes the increase in self-confidence and stress relief are also major benefits to this form of exercise.

Christie P. - Yoga, Reiki

www.ShiftingandInspired.com

Christie P. began practicing yoga in 2001, and yoga has since inspired nearly every aspect of her life! She completed her 200-hour teacher training at White Lotus Foundation, and has taught in studios, therapeutic spas, offices, schools, and frequently-held yoga retreats. She loves to inspire others to heal their minds and bodies through the power of yoga, while bringing safety and passion to each class. She is also a Reiki Master Teacher who worked with the Las Vegas Recovery Center for four years, using Reiki to help heal substance abuse. She is also a certified massage therapist. Currently, she is enrolled in a 500-hour yoga program at Barefoot Movement in Oakland.

Teresa E. - Barre, TRX

A Bay Area native with a contagious love of laughter and all things sparkly, Teresa came into fitness via her mother, who worked out to Jane Fonda videos and took her to Jazzercise classes. Leading fitness classes and training private clients in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2008, Teresa has 20+ years of dance/ performance experience, bringing passion, playfulness, laughter, and an element of show biz to her training. She is the Bay Area’s favorite ballet barre class instructor, in addition to being a TRX Suspension Training Instructor. Teresa is the creator of GrooveCore, a fusion of dance and core conditioning that elevates the heart rate while systematically raising the roof! She is looking forward to inspiring you to be the change you wish to feel in your body.

James L. - Spin

James has been teaching indoor cycling classes for over 13 years. He’s been an avid cyclist twice as a long, covering just about every hilltop in the Bay Area on his bike. Certified through Madd Dog Athletics multiple times, as well as several power console trainings, James began this part of his career as a side project alongside his fitness goals. Working by day as a chef/baker, he teaches a course in artisan breads at Laney College in Oakland. When not in the kitchen, James can be found on the bike, motivating a group of spinners to reach their goals. James’ loves to find great music for spinning, and organizing those songs to create a ride that people remember and come back for. James enjoys the outdoors through swimming, hiking local mountains, and exploring our beautiful coastline.

Caitlin S. - Pilates and Yoga

M.A. Transformative Art, John F. Kennedy University

B.A. Justice and Social Change, University of Michigan

Pilates Certification, 2007 Ellie Herman Studios

Yoga Training, 2007 Alice Joanou /Loka Yoga

Intrigued by the human body at a very early age, Caitlin has spent her life cultivating creativity through movement. She began as a dancer, and continued to develop her interest in movement and performance through college. She earned a bachelor's degree in Justice and Social Change from the University of Michigan, where she facilitated art workshops in inner-city high schools, detention centers, and prisons. Building on these experiences, she earned a master’s degree in transformative art from John F. Kennedy University, where she explored performance art and its impact on self-esteem and the body.

Upon graduating, Caitlin continued on her path of teaching movement. She became interested in physical therapy and rehabilitation while teaching, and this inspired her to study pilates and yoga. She has been teaching pilates and yoga for the past seven years, specializing in women’s health, athletic rehab, and running performance.

Andreina F. Zumba

Born and raised in Venezuela, Andreina spent much of her time dancing; now, getting people to dance with her is her passion. She truly cares about the people who are taking her classes. She makes sure that everyone enjoys themselves, can follow along, and leaves feeling better than when they walked in.

Andreina is a mother of two boys, a wife, a part-time employee, and a friend. Teaching Zumba gives her the chance to meet amazing people every day. Andreina is constantly inspired by the students and friends she has come to know through teaching Zumba classes since 2009.

Erick B. - Cardio Salsa and Latin Rhythms

Erick graduated from the National School of Arts of Cuba as a dancer and singer with a potent voice, grand improvisational skills, infectious personality, and confident stage presence. As any good Cuban will tell you, he was born tremendously influenced by idiosyncrasies such as love for music, dance, and joy. Erick was inevitably inspired by the contagious and palpable traditions of carnivals and floats, Rumba on the street, and especially by his humble family, where every minute was spent engulfed in dance and music. His father, Luis Barberia, current singer of the famous orchestra Jorrin, is one of his biggest influences.

Erick is crowned Omo Eleggua, Awo Orunmila, and comes from the Afro-Cuban Yoruba family of Papo Angarica. Erick is Omo Ala Aña, (Son of the Drums secrets) consecrated in the tambor Bata Fundamento (Aña bi), one of the oldest sets of Tambores Bata that exists in Cuba today.

Julia H. - Brazilian Dance, Zumba, and Cardio Hip Hop

Julia has been a dancer for almost her whole life. She grew up learning dance by watching Soul Train on Saturday mornings; later, she began studying hip hop and ballet, and received a BFA in dance from the University of California at Irvine. Julia danced and taught at Berkeley City Ballet for many years, and was a dance instructor and choreographer for Young People's Theater Group for close to ten years. She choreographed and directed the show "Hip Hop and its Roots," a live production showing the evolution of hip hop dance. After college, she joined the group Ginga Brasil, and began her journey through Brazilian dances. Today, her focus is dance from Bahia, Brazil. She dances on and off with the Afro-Brazilian group As Yabas, led by Dandha da Hora. She is passionate about dance, and loves sharing that passion with her students.

Julio R. - Beats, Zumba, and Brazilian Drumming

Julio Remelexo is a drummer originally from the Afro-Bloco Ilê Aiyê in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. He is the founder, director, and singer for Tambores Julio Remelexo, and has played with famous musicians all over the world. Julio founded Tambores Julio Remelexo in 2004 as an all women’s percussion bloco here in the U.S., similar to those of Salvador, Brazil. Tambores Julio Remelexo is a lively, energetic group known for its rhythms, dancing while playing, and unique tricks with instruments. Julio Remelexo performs all over the Bay Area and in Brazil.

Jessica B. - Body Sculpting and Bootcamp

Jessica believes passionately in a holistic approach to fitness, wellness, and to life. As a certified personal trainer and advanced health coach with the American Council of Exercise (NCAA accredited), she motivates clients to live a full, functional, and healthy lifestyle. She loves inspiring people of all ages and fitness levels to achieve their health, weight, and fitness goals. She is currently working towards a supplemental weight management certification to add to her health coaching programs.

Jessica is looking to help you:

Find an exercise program that inspires you while keeping you challenged and engaged in pursuing better fitness

Santi B. - Yoga and Massage

Seeking a path that would help to balance the intense impact of her martial arts practice, Santi discovered the healing benefits of yoga 13 years ago. Her devotion to yoga evolved through different forms such as Hatha, Iyengar, Kundalini, and Ashtanga. Through this journey, she found that consistent practice not only prevented injuries, but also cultivated lasting beneficial changes in her posture, and overall physical and mental well-being. The ability to face challenges with this energy and clarity of mind has not only been life-transforming, but has motivated her to share this knowledge with others. She completed her Ashtanga teacher training with Laura Camp at Flying Yoga, and went on to receive her Kundalini certification with Dr. Hari Simran Singh Khalsa and Sat Rattan Kaur at their ashram in San Lorenzo.

Santi has a black belt in Aikido and Jujitsu, and is a certified personal trainer with NASM. She is also a certified massage Tterapist specializing in chronic and acute pain management. Santi believes that as we move forward on a path that brings us into deeper awareness of our bodies, we inevitably come into deeper awareness of our selves.

Ben I. - TRX, Spin, Bootcamps, Body Sculpting

Born and raised in the Bay Area (Oakland), Ben has played baseball, run track, played football, run marathons, and completed obstacle races. Currently, Ben is training for a triathlon.

Ben has worked with 4th- and 5th-grade kids in an after-school program that emphasized fitness; programs and trips were designed specifically for the students' health and wellness.

In 2005, Ben realized that working in fitness full-time was his ultimate reward and the greatest service. Ben has now been in the fitness industry in different capacities for years, first as a personal trainer working for various gyms in the Bay Area, and now primarily as an instructor. While he is beginning to make his way back into personal training, it was two years into the start of his training career that a respected colleague suggested that his creative flare, infectious spirited energy, and exceptional gift to inspire make him perfect for a group exercise setting. From then on, he has dedicated much of himself to group fitness.

Starting his career with TRX and Bootcamps, he now spends his days and nights instructing both indoor cycling and bootcamps open to all age groups and fitness levels.

Jenna’s approach to pilates and holistic fitness emphasizes the mind-body connection, utilizing the power of awareness and a positive attitude to create lasting change. Jenna is a creative and adept teacher, and is inspired by both modern and ancient healing systems, having been exposed to yoga and dance at a young age. She completed her first yoga teacher training in the Anusara method in 2004, and continued to study yoga therapeutics with various Anusara teachers. Her passion for movement studies led her to Asia, where she studied yoga, dance, and breath work, and completed a Thai yoga massage training. She then returned to the states and attended the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, graduating with a license in massage therapy and certificates in Cranial Sacral Therapy and Polarity Healing. Jenna’s overall fascination with the body and biomechanics, along with her desire to treat her own scoliosis, led her to pilates. Jenna was drawn to the Polestar Pilates School because of their emphasis on physical therapy and rehabilitation. Jenna’s other passion is teaching and performing classical Indian and ethnic dance. Jenna’s classes are fun and challenging, emphasizing breath, alignment, movement awareness, and her coined phrase “freedom in form."

Nicolette T. - Yoga, Massage, Personal Training and Health Coaching

Nicolette is passionate about helping the working professional manage stress, relieve tension, and find fun and easy ways to feel great in their bodies so they can live their best life. She does this via a combination of yoga, massage therapy, corrective exercise, and health coaching. Nicolette strives to create a safe, playful, and effective environment, and is dedicated to supporting you in reaching your fitness and wellness goals.

Nicolette took her first yoga class as a student at UC Berkeley in 1999; she fell in love with the way yoga grounded and rejuvenated her. She completed her BA in sociology, and went on to work as a community outreach manager for a homeless shelter before completing her MA in sociology, focusing on social change. Nicolette loves connecting with people of all backgrounds in striving to help fight inequality; she works to meet individuals where they are at on their personal journey, while bringing compassion and heart to her work.

After working for busy non-profits and city government for over five years, she left the stress behind and became acupressure- and Reiki-certified. She then completed her 200-hour certification in Sampoorna Hatha Yoga with Sri Yogi Hari of the Sivananda lineage.

Nicolette has completed her Yoga Tune Up® Teacher's Training, learning techniques and exercises to increase body awareness, blast bodily blind spots, and relieve pain/increase performance and mobility on and off the mat. She is also a certified massage practitioner specializing in Asian bodywork styles, which she integrates with her acupressure and Reiki work.

She is excited to be one of the resident yoga instructors at Annie's Homegrown natural foods. Nicolette also teaches yoga on campus and at local companies for her alma mater, UC Berkeley. Cal invited her to become a health coach for their WorkFit Program, where Nicolette meets one-on-one with faculty and staff embarking on a 12-week program that helps produce lasting positive change with nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress management. Last February, Nicolette set out upon a challenging journey of self-discovery via a ten-day silent Vipassana meditation. It was a beautiful, intense connection with one's self and the amazing women with whom she shared the journey.

Nicolette can often be found hiking with her husband, reading, eating, and exploring. Her latest challenge is to incorporate ways to get more cardio and strength training; she recently discovered TRX and is a huge fan.

Tamatha H. - Barre Fitness, GrooveCore

Tam started teaching barre fitness classes in 2008. Her first movement teacher was her mom, who showed her how to waltz and cha-cha. Later, she studied classical ballet at San Francisco Ballet School. Her most influential teachers there included Irina Jacobson, Christine Bering, and Christopher Boatwright. After a corporate career experiment, Tam focused on becoming a teacher. She brings an eye for alignment, clarity of instruction, and supportive assists to create a personalized experience for each person in class.

When Tam is not teaching, she enjoys reading, traveling with her partner, and catching up on comedies while cuddling with her cat, Tina Fey.

Helio L. - Capoeira Aerobics

Helio began Capoeira with his uncle under a big mango tree in Salvador Bahía, Brazil, when he was maybe five years old. When he was ready to begin a formal education in Capoeira, Helio went into the Capoeira Kilombolas School, which unfortunately cost his family seven cruzeiros per month (about $2 U.S.), an amount that he couldn’t afford. So he paid only the first month, and then found ways to never pay again. His determination to practice this art in the face of extreme poverty earned him a scholarship at the first Capoeira regional academy in the world, Associaco de Capoeira Mestre Bimba in Salvador, Brazil. There, Helio became part of a dedicated community of Capoeiristas who influenced his life in a positive manner, and was given the nickname "Professor Sereno."

Now Sereno teaches at Truve, and he also travels to Canada once a year to teach workshops. On Sundays, he teaches Capoeira to all ages at Ohlone Park in Berkeley.

Who should take Capoeira? All people! It’s an extremely healthy, intensive full-body workout that improves agility, strength, flexibility, and precision.

Chelsea M. - Cardio Hip Hop and Zumba

Chelsea M. started dancing in the San Francisco Bay Area at age 14. She began studying ballet, but soon branched out to different forms of dance including jazz, Brazilian, and salsa. Soon after, she was introduced to belly dance and became instantly mesmerized, studying with Suhaila Salimpour. At 16, Chelsea studied in New York with dance legend Luigi (Eugene Louis Faccuito). At 18, she resumed study with Suhaila and Jamila Salimpour, and eventually began assistant teaching in their classes.

Chelsea has choreographed for and performed with Suhaila Dance Company since 2012, and has been a company dancer for many years. Along with belly dance, hip hop is another of Chelsea's passions. Since 2011, she has danced with Allan Frias’s group, Mind Over Matter, at various venues including San Francisco Hip Hop Dance Fest, DAMSF, and Fresh Meat in San Francisco. She has danced in hip hop music videos, choreographed for R&B singers, and recently auditioned for America’s Got Talent.

Chelsea discovered Zumba during the summer of 2010, and was instantly hooked. Soon after, she became a certified Zumba instructor, and has been teaching since March 2011. Zumba is a Latin dance/fitness class that feels like a party instead of a regular aerobics workout. You’ll find Chelsea’s classes incorporate a range of dance forms including belly dance and hip hop!

Randy M. Spin - TRX

Randy knows how important and hard it is to change unhealthy habits. A former two-pack-a-day smoker, Randy is now an avid cyclist, runner and exerciser. He has participated in the AIDS/LifeCycle three times, has done a couple double centuries (200 mile bike rides in one day), and loves to participate in marathons and trail runs. In the gym, he gravitates to body-weight exercises and is a huge fan of TRX.

Randy is a NASM-certified personal trainer, and has led a number of small group training sessions, charting a healthy exercise course with groups of three to five people. He leads TRX, circuit training, and boot camp classes, has been active in UC Berkeley’s WorkFit U program, and teaches indoor cycling at various locations.

Certifications:

NASM-certified personal trainer since 2009

CPR/AED-certified

Keiser-certified spin instructor

YMCA-certified Group Ex instructor

TRX-certified

Katie W. - Spin and Zumba

Katie has been active since the age of six, when she took her first dance class. Katie continued to dance through school and into college, where she also became a NCAA varsity athlete for her rowing team. After college, Katie became a high school teacher and athletic coach. As Katie worked with young athletes, she continued dancing and attending gym classes like spinning, kickboxing, and Zumba. After four years of spinning classes, Katie became inspired by her fabulous instructors and decided to become an instructor herself. Katie has been teaching spinning since September 2011, and loves picking all types of music and creating workouts that will really push her classes to reach their fitness goals.

Dance has always been a part of Katie's life, so it felt natural to take Zumba classes and eventually become a Zumba Instructor. Katie has been teaching Zumba since January 2012, and loves seeing her classes master routines, improve their health, and connect with each other. Katie is licensed to teach Zumba fitness and Zumba Gold classes.

In addition to being a fitness instructor, Katie has a MA in social work, and is the adoption case manager for an adoption facilitator in Emeryville, CA. When she's not working or teaching, Katie can be found reading a book, playing with her cats, or watching lots of TV. She is a true TV junkie and has an extremely full DVR! She is also an avid reader, and enjoys checking out all the amazing and unique bookstores in the East Bay. Katie volunteers once a week as a reading partner, and works with 2nd-4th graders on their reading skills and comprehension. Katie is excited to join the Truve team and get more of Oakland moving and grooving!

Eyla M. - Rhythm & Motion, Pilates

Eyla is a San Francisco native who grew up playing music and dancing with her father, famous jazz drummer Eddie Moore. Eyla's professional dance career began in 2005, when she started teaching with the Rhythm and Motion Dance Program after first being a student for four years. She then went on to San Francisco State University, where she received a BA in dance in 2008.Eyla became a certified Dunham Technique instructor in 2011, and a certified pilates instructor in 2014.In addition, she won the title of Queen of SF Carnaval 2011, and was the recipient of an Isadora Duncan Dance Award that same year.Eyla also performs locally and internationally with Cunamacue Afro-Peruvian Dance Company, based in Oakland.In her nine years as a Rhythm and Motion instructor, Eyla has developed a reputation as a fun, challenging, and silly teacher.Her love and passion for dance shine through in her classes, and her students always leave feeling like they got a fantastic cardio workout in a fun and non-competitive environment. Come join Eyla's new Rhythm and Motion classes at Truve; you'll be so happy that you did!

Kym S. - Bootcamp, Spin, Personal Training

While Kym has been active in sports for most of her life (softball, volleyball, skiing, and competitive speed rollerskating), weight control was an issue off and on, and she found it difficult to make the time for fitness when her sons, Andrew and Cory, were young. In 2001, the only time she could find for a good long workout was in the wee hours of the morning, and thus a hardcore morning bootcamp was a perfect fit for her. She participated for several years in the Downtown Oakland YMCA program, perfecting her pushups before she became one of the co-leaders in 2005. Throughout this time, she has loved doing 5Ks and 10Ks, half marathons (and even one full marathon), metric and century bike rides, and sprint to half-iron triathlons (her favorite races usually include mud and obstacles). A couple of years ago, she decided to take a break from the engineering consulting world to have more unstressed time with family before her boys take off for college. She is genuinely grateful for this window of opportunity, and fuels her fitness by spending time in the weight room improving her balance, strength, and agility, playing DJ, designing workouts for body-sculpting, total body challenge, Zumba, and indoor cycle classes, and working with individuals to create goals and action plans to improve their fitness. She heartily believes that you should enjoy your workouts, be challenged, and get sore, yet yearn for the next one.

Karen M. Yoga

"Yoga literally saved my life" Karen has been a practitioner of ashtanga vinyasa yoga and an attorney for over 15 years. She knew she would never have developed a life/work balance in the legal profession if she had never discovered yoga. Yoga has strengthened her mind, body and spirit to allow her the personal freedom to pursue her many passions outside of law. She is a dancer at heart and has embraced ballet, tap, jazz, African, modern, salsa, and samba dance forms throughout the years. She is a long-distance runner. She has completed three half marathons and one full marathon since 2011. She finds the meditative aspects of breathing during running and yoga are really quite similar. Yoga has assisted her in pursuing all her life's passions because yoga is a catalyst to living life fully and with an open heart. For Karen, every yoga practice is an opportunity to be in the present moment of infinite possibility and true self awareness. It is a time to remember what truly brings us joy. Karen is excited to share the knowledge and benefits she has gained on during her yoga adventure with the Truve community.

Josh M. Self-Defense

Josh moved to the Bay Area in the fall of 2012 from Northwest Indiana. He is an avid musician and outdoorsman and feels right at home in the Bay. Josh graduated from Indiana University in 2007 with a double-major in Communication & Culture and Folklore & Ethnomusicology. He was also introduced to the Indiana University martial arts program at that time, the largest collegiate martial arts program in the United States. There he studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu, jeet kune do concepts, hapkido, aikido, and street defense. After graduating he moved to his home town where he studied under Grand Master Deborah Grimaldi in hapkido, tae kwan do, and jiu-jitsu before moving to Nigeria in 2008 to teach self defense, music, and English. His travels found him in Japan where he taught English for a year and trained in Shorinji Kenpo under zen fighting masters before returning home to pursue his passion for music and train under Master Grimaldi for another 2 years.

Josh has a great passion for martial arts but the underlying theme is community. One must be strong mentally, physically, and spritiually in order to be a valuable member of the community. By studying martial arts, an individual can hope to cultivate their physical fitness and fighting prowess, but more important is the cultivation of an indomitable spirit by training hard, making new friends, and growing together. And it's fun!

Josh' self defense classes at Truve will combine traditional martial arts training with modern practical street defense for a well rounded self-defense system

Laura B. U Jam Dance

Laura found dance as an early teen and it quickly became a huge part of who she was and how she wanted to spend her life. She began teaching group fitness and dance classes about 20 years ago and fell in love with helping others find their special connection with movement and their bodies. After a back injury resulting from a car accident, she began to look at holistic approaches of training and living in order to live life fully, continue to dance and move without pain. This included massage and bodywork, nutrition, yoga and strength training. One of her favorite things is to dance hard and get sweaty with a room full of people with a positive attitude and passion for getting funky. She holds a Bachelors degree from SFSU in Dance and Holistic Health, she is Zumba and UJam Certified ,California Certified as a Massage Therapist, and is a Certified Personal TrainerandFitness Nutrition Specialist through National Academy of Sports Medicine and has just begun studying Z-Health. She has studied Holistic Nutrition at Bauman College and has a passion for learning and educating about all things related to living fully and healthy. Her dance training has included- Egyptian and Tribal bellydancing, Graham , Horton, and Dunham technique, Hip-hop, Afro-Haitian, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian, Salsa and Jazz. Laura looks forward to helping your dance your way to a healthier you at Truve.